"Say, Kiri." Kyoko looked up at Makoto, who grabbed them a soda from the fridge. He sat down across from her at the dining table. "I don't mean to be invasive, so tell me if you don't want to share. But, I was wondering. Are your parents coming home soon?" Kyoko hummed, opening the can of soda.
"Hmm, I wouldn't count on that." Makoto tilted his head. She smiled. "They're uh... they're dead." His eyes widened.
"Oh my god Kirigiri- I am so sorry-"
"It's fine Naegi. I figured you would react like this." His palm met his forehead.
"God I feel stupid."
"For asking a question?" He nodded. "My mother passed away when I was 6. My dad back in april. Sure, it hurts, but..." Kyoko sighed. "I need to move on." Makoto stood up, and walked over to where the girl was sitting. He sat down next to her.
"Don't move on. Keep them with you, for the rest of your life.", he said as he laid his hand on hers.
"A difficult path, but noble.", she smiled. Only when she looked up at him, she realized how close he was. Kyoko felt her heart pound in her chest as she tried to clear her head. She looked back at their hands. "I'm not sure if I can manage that. I haven't been in their room since my father died."
"Don't say that." Makoto let go of her hand, and used his to cup her cheek. He made her look at him. "Kiri, you are by far one of the strongest people I've ever met. You are doing so amazing, and you should be so, so proud of yourself. I know your parents are." Kyoko felt her eyes start to sting. The doorbell rang. She quickly jumped up and went to get it, leaving Makoto alone at the dining table.
He looked down at his hand, the one which covered Kyoko's cheek not 10 seconds ago. He hadn't gotten the chance yet to tell her how proud he was of her. As Kyoko walked back in with the two pizzas, Makoto went back to his seat.
"Pineapple on pizza, Naegi? That's a peculiar combo."
"What?? It's great! Have you tried it before?" Kyoko shook her head. He handed her a slice. She grabbed one of her slices aswell, giving it to him. She took a bite of the Hawaiian slice.
"...This is strange."
"But good, isn't it?"
"I don't dislike the taste, but it will take some getting used to." He smiled.
"I'm glad you're stepping out of your comfort zone." Kyoko raised an eyebrow.
"Stepping out of my comfort zone? It's a slice of pizza, Naegi."
"Small steps." Makoto's phone started buzzing. It was his mother. He excused himself for a moment, and walked to the livingroom to pick up.
"Mom?"
"Hi Mako.", she sounded a bit sad and worried. "Where are you? Maizono called me to see if you were here. I thought you were with her?" He sighed.
"I was. We got in a fight and I left, I'm currently at a friend's house. I'll be home soon."
"Alright Mako. Take care, I love you."
"Love you too mom." He hung up the phone, sighing. His glance turned to Kirigiri, who was checking her phone at the dining table. He couldn't help but feel the warmth of her face in the palm of his hand. She was just so cute with her hair in a bun. Slowly but surely, Makoto caught himself starting to feel guilty. He shouldn't be thinking about her this way. He sighed, making his way over to the dining table again.
"How'd it go?", Kyoko asked.
"She was wondering where I was. Apparently Sayaka called her to see if I was home." She frowned.
"So you're gonna have to explain everything again once you're home?" Makoto nodded. "That blows." She opened her mouth to speak again, but decided against it.
"What's up?", he asked as he took another bite of his pizza. Kyoko smiled awkwardly, as she fiddled with the empty soda can.
"It's really dumb, but, I was thinking for a bit. I think I'm going to clean my parents' room this weekend." Makoto smiled.
"You're doing amazing, Kiri."
"But."
"But?"
"I... I don't think I can do it alone." Kyoko glanced down at the can she was fidgeting with. "Are you available, this weekend?" He nodded.
"I'd be honoured to help." After a small silence, the two of them got up to do the few amount of dishes they had. They made some small talk, about Makoto's sister, their dog, Leon who keeps mentioning how he's excited to take out Kyoko upcoming Friday...
"He seems to be really into you.", Makoto said. Kyoko scoffed.
"You really believe that?", she said as she hung up the towel and leaned back against the sink. "I think he's just looking for some 'easy game'."
"Leon can be a real prick sometimes, and sure he looks like he takes out girls as a hobby but..." He leaned next to her. "He's my best friend, I'd say. The fact that he's trying so hard makes it seem to me he's really into you." Kyoko sighed.
"A stupid question, uhm... How did you first realise you were falling for Sayaka?" She looked up at him.
"Hmm... Well, my mother mentions that whenever I talk about her my eyes light up. I catch myself thinking about her, even at moments when I'm not supposed to. Whenever we touch, the feeling lingers for a while. Honestly I could go on for hours. Why do you ask? Think you're falling for someone?" Kyoko shook her head.
"Curiosity." Makoto glanced at the clock, reading it was 10PM at this point. He should be heading home soon. "Heading home?" He looked back at her.
"It's getting pretty late, yeah."
"I'll walk you out."
Makoto unlocked his car. He turned around, and leaned against the car door. Kyoko rubbed her arms for warmth. It was 10PM in a late November evening, and she was only wearing a loose T-shirt. She seriously envied Makoto's turtleneck sweater at this point.
"Thank you, Kiri. Seriously. I had a blast.", he said. His breath formed small clouds in the cold.
"I must thank you, too, Naegi. You opened my eyes." He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again. "Spit it out."
"... Can I hug you, Kiri?" She quickly nodded, whereafter Makoto wrapped his arms around her. He felt her shiver. "Ah, quick to respond so you can steal my warmth!" She held him tighter.
"Thank you, Naegi.", she whispered. She felt tears start to sting her eyes again, but managed to drown them out before he let her go. He did eventually. Their eyes met.
"You can just call me Makoto, you know." She nodded.
"I guess you could call me Kyoko, too."
"Head inside, it's freezing. I'll see you at school, Kyoko."
"Have a safe drive, Makoto." They exchanged their goodbyes, as Makoto pulled out of Kyoko's driveway, and she went back inside. She noticed Makoto's coat still hanging over one of the dining chairs. Guess she had to bring it with her the next day. Turning off the lights, and making sure everything was locked, Kyoko got ready for bed.
~
Makoto shivered as he walked onto the school grounds. How stupid he was for forgetting his coat at Kyoko's house. Sayaka had sent him multiple messages. He ignored them. His focus was on asking Kyoko what he forgot to yesterday. Something that would confirm whether Sayaka was loyal or not. As he thought about the situation, he didn't notice he nearly walked into two girls standing in the hallway.
"Oh, I am so sorry!", he said.
"Oh shit, aren't you from class 77?", one of them said.
"Y-yeah, why?"
"Haaah, I figured!! You seem so small!", she laughed as she got elbowed by the other girl.
"Apologies for my friend. Are you alright, you seem pretty stirred up?" Makoto nodded.
"My thoughts are all over the place, but other than that I'm fine." The girl smiled, while the other glared at her.
"Why are you glaring at me?"
"... Flat chested bitch." Makoto quickly excused himself, heading to his classroom. He threw his backpack on his desk, as he was approached by Sayaka.
"Hey..." He looked at her.
"Hey." She fiddled with her thumbs. Getting a good luck at her, he could tell she was on the verge of tears. He always hated seeing her like that. He decided to follow his heart instead of his brain, which was shouting that the whole situation was not okay. But his heart ached for her. Makoto hesitatingly grabbed hold of her hands. "Let's just... pretend yesterday never happened. Start with a clean slate."
"You believe me?"
"I don't know." He pulled her in a hug. "I don't know if I believe you, I just... I don't want to fight." He glanced to the side of the classroom, where Kyoko was chatting with Mukuro and Junko. A feeling of guilt spiraled down his back. Why? Why does he feel guilty hugging his own girlfriend while Kyoko is in the same room?
"Kyoko?", Junko snapped her back to reality. "You good girl?" She nodded.
"I'm alright, thank you." She thought back to what Makoto said last night. How it feels to fall in love. How their touch lingers, how your eyes light up when you speak of them, how they're constantly on your mind. It made Kyoko worry. She was afraid enough of falling in love. She was even more afraid of feeling something for him. Junko waved her hand in front of her face.
"Girl, you're way out of it! Did something happen?" Kyoko let out an awkward chuckle. Her composure was breaking, as a look of panic started to spread in her face like a disease. Each time she glanced at them, a pin was stabbed in her heart.
"C-Can we.. bathroom.." Mukuro and Junko nodded, getting her out off the classroom. Hina followed suit, once she noticed them leaving. The four of them made their way to the first floor bathroom. Once arrived, Kyoko sat down at the windowsill.
"What happened, Kyoko?", Hina asked. She tried to collect herself.
"I think I'm falling in love with Makoto."